Registering mechanism for sheet-feeders.



H. HALLSTREAM.

REGISTEMNG MECHANISM FOR SHEET FEEDERS.

MTPLICATIQN FILED DEC. 27xv 1915. g 1,206,218. IPatenced Nov. 28', 1916.

2 ySHEETS--SHEE`I' 1. w

n )Sgr o HKHALLSTREAM. REGISYERING MECHANISM FOR SHEET FEEDERS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 27.195. 1,206,218, Patented Nov. 28, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

FEEDER CQMPANY, A, CORPORATION OF MAINE.

REGISTERING MECHANISM' FOR SHEET-FEEDERS.

Specication ,of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 28, 1916.,

Application filed December 27, 1915. Serial No. 68,7177.

To' all whom t may concern:

Be it knownI that I, HENNING HALL- s'rRnAM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Registering Mechanism for Sheet-Feeders;

and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the inventiomsuch as will enable others skilledin the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The invention relates to mechanism for s ecuring the front register of sheets which are automatically fed to the front guides of a printing press or analogous machine.

The object of the inventionis to provide a novel and improved construction and arrangement of front registering grippers which act to draw the front edge of the sheet against the front guides, and which are adapted to be moved into and out of position to act upon the sheets independently of the movement of the front guides.

To this end the invention comprises the features of construction and combinationsof parts hereinafter described and set forth in the claims.

The invention will be readily'understood' from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and the following detailed description of 'the ymechanism illustra-ted therein.

In the drawings, Figure l is a longitudif nal sectional elevation showing so much of an automatic sheet feeding machine as is necessary to illustrate the application of the present invention thereto; Figs. 3 and 3 are similar views showing the parts directly back of the front guides in different positions; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional plan view on line 4 4, Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on line 5 5, Fig. 2.

In the drawings the invention is shown as embodied in the automatic sheet feeding machine known as the Cross paper feeder.

y In this machine a bank of feathered sheets is acted upon by the independently con trolled combing wheels which are lowered upon the sheets at regular intervals, and each of which is independently disengaged from the sheets by devices controlledl by a trip arranged to be engaged by` the frontv edge of the top sheet-when the sheet has been advanced into position to be acted upon by the delivery rolls 2 and 4. The lower delivery rolls are secured to a shaft 6 which is actuated by an oscillating segment 8, and the upper delivery rolls are mounted upon a shaft l0 which is carried by arms l2 secured to a rock shaft 14. Therock shaft is operated to raise and lower the upper delivery rolls at proper intervals, and theoperating segment 8 for the lower delivery rollsis so timed that the sheet is started from a state of rest with a gradually accelerated motion. The delivery rolls forward the sheets to forwarding rolls i6 and 18, the lower rolls of which are-driven in unison with the lower delivery rolls, and which forward the sheets to 'the'front guides 20 of the printing press to which the sheets are being fed. The forwarding rolls are so driven through their connection with the lower delivery rolls that they act 'to gradually slow down the sheet and bring itto rest with'its front edgev a short distance back of the front` guides. The

upper forwarding rolls 18 are carried in rock shaft 50 which is operated in the usual manner to raise 'and lower the drop guides.

There are two front guides, asusual (one only of which is shown) and the guides and tongues 24 are provided with the usual adiusting devices. Y 1

In emhodV 'ng the present improvements in a machine having the censtruction'and mode of operation. above .described, two

sheet registering grippers; which grip the front edge of the sheet and draw it against the front guides, are supported adjacent to out `independently of the front guides, and are independently moved toremove the gripper jaws and the parts carrying them from the path of the sheet' during its removal, and for returning the grippers into position for the entrance 'of the front edge of the succeeding sheet between the gripper jaws after the sheet has been removed. By supporting and moving the grippers independently of the front guides, the grippers may be readily and conveniently incorporated in machines with little or no change or modification in the front guides and tongues with which the machine `may be provided. This construction also enables the front registering grippers to be incorporated in machines which are provided with swinging or oscillating front guides which are ill adapted to support and carry front registering grippers.

In the construction shown, each gripper comprises an arm 32, the rear end of which is pivoted to the lower end of a lever 34, and the front end of which projects downward and carries at its lower end a thin plate 36 which forms the lower jaw of the gripper. The upper jaw 38 is in the form of a thin plate overlying the plate 36, and formed on the front end of a vertically movable arm 40, the rear end of which is pivoted on a stud 42 projecting from the arm 32. A torsional spring surrounds the hub of the arm 40 and tends to force it downward and thus close the jaws of the gripper. One end of the y spring is connected to the arm 40, and the other to an adjustable collar mounted on the end of the stud 42, and provided with a series of radial slots adapted to be entered by a pin projectingfrom the stud. The lever 34 onv which the gripper arm 32 is pivotally supported is mounted to turn on a cross-rod 46, and the upper end of the arm is connected by a link 48 with an arm 5,0 secured to a rock shaft 52. The rock shaft is operated to advance and retract the grippers through an arm 54 secured to one en d of the rock while the upper plate or jaw 38 is held away- -from the lower jaw by a finger 58 on the upper side of the arm 40, which at this time overlies a roll 60 carried by the front end of an arm 62. and arranged to rest on the upper edge of the arm 32. The rear end of the arm 62 is pivoted to an arm 64 formed on a collar 66 which is secured to the cross-rod 46. The lower gripper plate or jaw 36 is held firmly against the tongue 24 by a spring 68 surrounding a rod 70, the lower end oi which is pivo'ted to a lug on the upper edge of the arm 32, and the upper end of which passes through a lug 72 on an arm 74 which projects. horizontally from the lever 34.y

The spring 69 is interposedbetween the lug 72 and the lug on the upper side of theI arm 32, and forces the arm downward totracted.

The grippers 'are' in retracted position, with the lower jaws below and the upper jaws above the path ofthe sheet, when the sheet is advanced 'bv the forwarding rolls 16 and 18 into position back of the front guides, Y,

as indicated in Fig. 1. As the sheet comes into this position the front edge passes freely between the jaws of the grippers. Immediately thereafter the shaft 52 is rocked to advance the grippers. During the first forward movement of the gripper arms 32, the fingers 58 ride 'oii of the rolls 60, so that the upper jaws 38 are closed to grip'the front edge of the 'sheet directly back of each front guide. As' the forward movement of the grippers continues, the grippers act to draw the sheet forward until the front edge of the sheet engages the front guides, after which the jaws slide forward over the sheet, maintaining it in position against the front guides. In case the edge .of the sheet strikes one front guide before the other, the gripper continues to draw the edge of the sheet against this guide, while the other gripper brings the edge of the sheet against the other guide. The forward movement of the grippers carries the rear edges Vof the lower plates or jaws 36 beyond the front guides, thus disengaging the jaws from the sheet. The position of the parts as the under jaws of the grippers pass from beneath the front e'dge of the sheet is indicated in Fig. 2. As the gripper jaws reach this position the swinging movement of the lever 34 brings the lug 72 into engagement with the nut 7 6, so that the further movement of the lever 34 lifts the arm 32 and the gripper jaws up out of the pathof the sheet and into the position indicated in Fig. 3. At substantially the same time the front guides are raised,

so that the sheet may be taken away by thev grippers on the cylinder 26 in the usual manner. After the sheet has been removed the lever 34 is swung in the opposite direction, thus lowering the gripper arm 32 and retracting it into the position indicated in Fig. 1. As the part-s come into this position the fingers 58 ride up on to the rolls 60,V thus raising the upper jaws of the grippers, so

that the jaws are again in position for the entrance oi the front edge of the succeeding sheet.

While it is preferred to employ the specific construction and arrangement of parts shown and described. it will be understood that this construction and arrangement is not essential to the broader features of the invention, and may be varied or modified as 1 fqund desirable` or best suited to the construction of the machine in `which the invention is to be embodied.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention, and specifically described one form of mechanism in which it may be embodied, what is claimed. is

1. A front registering mechanism for sheet feeders, having, in combination, front guides movable into and out of the path of the sheet, sheet registering grippers each lcom .isino u i )er and lower 'aws arran ed adjacent to the front guides and independently supported, means for actuating the grippers to grip the front edge of the sheet, draw it forward against the front guides, and slide over the sheet after the forward movement of theV sheet is arrested by the corresponding front guide, and means for removing the grippers from the path of the sheet and for returning them to position with their upper and lower ljaws on opposite sides of the path of the sheet.

2. A front registering mechanism .for sheet -feeders, having, in combination, front lides movable into and out of the path of e sheet, a sheet registering gripper corresponding to each front guide comprising an upper and a lower jaw between which the front edge of the sheet passes, supports for the grippers independent of the front guides, means for actuating the grippers to rip the front edge of the sheet, draw it orward against the front guides and slide over the sheet after the forward movement of the sheet is arrested by the corresponding front guide, and means for raising the grippers during the removal of the sheet and for thereafter returning them to position with their upper and lower jaws on opposite sides of the path of the sheet.

3. A front registering mechanism for sheet feeders, having, in combination, front guides movable into and out' of the path of the sheet, a sheet registering gripper corresponding to each front guide comprising a reciprocating arm provided with a Axed lower gripping jaw and a verticallymovable upper jaw, supports for the arms independent of the front guides, means for advancing a sheet' to bring its front edge between the jaws of the grippers, means for closing the gripper jaws and for advancing the gripper arms to carry the rear edge of the lower jaw beyond the front guides, and means for raising the arms during the removal of the sheet- .and for returning the'grippers to position for the entrance of the succeeding sheet between their j aws;

HENNING HALLSTREAM. 

